Get Ready for Mini Atari and Sega Genesis Consoles to Consume Your Life

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Nintendo pioneered the recent “Hey, ‘member ‘80s video game consoles?” craze. Last November, the Japanese giant released the Nintendo Classic Mini, a tiny version of its original NES that came with 30 built-in games from the Reagan era. Everyone freaked out, because nostalgia. As a result, no one could actually buy the damn thing. (Reminder: The Super NES Mini is coming out later this year, so prepare for more crushing disappointment.)

But the truth is that AtGames has been in the ‘member game a bit longer than Nintendo, having produced miniature versions of classic titles like Centipede for years. Now they’re aiming to steal back some of Nintendo’s thunder by unveiling premium HD versions of two classic gaming consoles: the Atari Flashback 8 Gold and the Sega Genesis Flashback. Per a press release, each console comes with hordes of built-in Atari 2600 and Sega Genesis 16-games, respectively. Do they ever.

As for the Genesis offerings, provided that you haven’t already signed up for the new Sega Forever service, you can expect to play fare like Comix Zone, Kid Chameleon, Mr. Balls, something called Plumbing Contest, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but not, curiously, Sonic the Hedgehog 1. Excuse me while I investigate why the O.G. Sonic isn’t available, but its subsequent sequels and several other lesser Sonic titles, including goddamn Tails Adventure, are. This is important journalism, so stay tuned.

Both consoles will hit stores in September and retail for $79.99, but can you really put a price on the hours you’ll spend trying to defeat Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat III? No. No, you cannot.